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Johnny Depp and Jeff Beck are firing back at the author who claimed they jacked lyrics to one of their songs from an old poem ... calling the whole thing a cash grab.

Johnny and Jeff just filed a lawsuit against folklorist Bruce Jackson, who accused the duo of stealing the lyrics to their song "Sad Motherf*****g Parade" from an old toast performed by an inmate and shared in one of Jackson's books.

According to the suit, obtained by TMZ, Johnny and Jeff say the toast, known as "Hobo Ben," doesn't have clear origins, and they claim Jackson even admitted the person who shared the poem with him admitted it was passed down over time like an old folktale.

In other words, they say it belongs to no one.

The "Hobo Ben" toast goes ... "Ladies of culture and beauty so refined, is there one among you that would grant me wine? I'm raggedy I know, but I have no stink, and God bless the lady that'll buy me a drink. Heavy-hipted Hattie turned to Nadine with a laugh, and said, 'What that funky motherf***** really need, child, is a bath.'"

The song lyrics on Johnny and Jeff's new album feature similar lines to the "Hobo Ben" poem ... "I'm raggedy, I know, but I have no stink. God bless a lady that'll buy me a drink" ... and "What that funky motherf***** really need, child, is a bath."

In their suit, Johnny and Jeff claim Jackson fired off legal letters asserting he was the rightful owner of the "the only known authorized transcription and recording of 'Hobo Ben"' ... but the pair claims Jackson tellingly never said he owned the rights to the toast itself because he knew he couldn't own a copyright to an old folktale.

Jackson's also blasted Johnny and Jeff in the media, telling Rolling Stone ... "I've been publishing stuff for 50 years, and this is the first time anybody has just ripped something off and put his own name on it."

Kanye West has just had one of his most important relationships in the fashion world ended ... Balenciaga has reportedly cut ties with Ye.

According to Women's Wear Daily, Kering, the French fashion house parent company to Balenciaga has released a statement saying, "Balenciaga has no longer any relationship nor any plans for future projects related to this artist."

While the statement did not expand further, you have to imagine the decision was made after Kanye's repeated antisemitic attacks and controversies over the past few months.

Kanye and Balenciaga have a long history, and most recently partnered for a Yeezy Gap Engineered by Balenciaga collection that sold like wildfire.

Kanye also opened Balenciaga's Paris Fashion Week show, walking the runway -- and generating a ton of attention for the brand.

Of course, Kanye still has a multi-billion-dollar deal with Adidas -- a partnership the brand has reportedly said was "under review."

The parents whose children got the crap scared out of them by Mississippi day care workers pushed hard for those adults to get hit with serious crimes, and it ultimately worked ... according to law enforcement.

Monroe County Sheriff Kevin Crook, who is spearheading the criminal investigation, tells TMZ ... 3 sets of parents ran to the County Courthouse to demand felony child abuse charges. They made it clear they thought the behavior was too egregious for misdemeanor charges.

As we reported ... 4 women are each facing 3 counts of felony child abuse over the video showing at least one worker terrifying kids from behind a scary mask.

Crook says child abuse was the only felony charge under state law that seemed to fit the allegations.

A fifth day care worker is facing 2 misdemeanor charges -- failure to report abuse and simple assault -- and the day care owner has reportedly fired all of the employees involved.

Crook says folks in the community alerted cops to the videos by forwarding links, and after viewing the footage ... he assigned an investigator to begin a criminal probe.

James Corden has retracted the apology he made to an NYC restaurant owner earlier this week ... 'cause he's now saying he did nothing wrong.

'The Late, Late Show' host sat down with the New York Times Thursday and called allegations "silly" ... he acted like a "Cretin" by twice going nuts at Balthazar brasserie in Soho.

"I haven't done anything wrong, on any level. So why would I ever cancel this," Corden told an NYT reporter, referring to their interview after his embarrassing restaurant flap.

Corden goes on ... "I was there. I get it. I feel so Zen about the whole thing. Because I think it's so silly. I just think it's beneath all of us. It's beneath you. It's certainly beneath your publication."

At another point during the interview ... Corden peered over to a customer complaining about her meal in the swanky Mark Restaurant.

"Happens every day," Corden told the reporter. "It's happening in 55,000 restaurants as we speak. It's always about eggs."

Then he got serious ... "Can you imagine now, if we just blasted her on Twitter? Would that be fair? This is my point. It’s insane.”

As we reported ... Corden came under fire Monday after Balthazar owner Keith McNally blasted the funnyman on IG for twice acting like a "tiny Cretin of a man." McNally banned Corden from his restaurant, dubbing the TV host "the most abusive customer" ever. That prompted Corden to call McNally and apologize profusely. As a result, McNally lifted the ban.

Your move, Keith.

Taylor Swift's highly anticipated new album hit a glitch on Spotify Thursday night when the streaming giant literally crashed as her record dropped, causing mass confusion online.

The Grammy-award-winning artist released her 10th album, "Midnights," right at the stroke of midnight and, not coincidentally, that's when Spotify went down.

But, things got right back on track for Taylor ... as Spotify quickly repaired the problem so her millions of "Swifties" could enjoy the music.

During the outage, though, her fans went into panic mode on social media.

“Spotify crashed following the release of Taylor Swift’s new album #TSmidnighTS,” one freaked-out fan wrote, adding, “something went wrong.”

“YALL DONE BROKE SPOTIFY," said another nervous fan.

A third "Swiftie" said, “Spotify literally broke for like a minute!!! I was in panic mode,” before a fourth posted the app’s error message, tweeting, “Really @Spotify? On a night like this? I am fuming #TSmidnightTS.”

But, all's well that ends well. Taylor treated her "Swifties" to a special edition of the album with seven extra tunes that dropped 3 hours later on Spotify.

If there weren't enough proof the world has gone crazy and mental health is a critical issue for our survival ... check out this horrific story of a 23-year-old who allegedly stabbed his mother and dog with a samurai sword before he was Tased by police.

It happened Tuesday night in L.A. ... Eric Herrera is seen on video dazed, holding the sword as police implore him to drop it. In short order, a cop Tasers Herrera, and you see him fall to the ground.

Neighbors say the scene looked like it was right out of a horror movie, as they watched it all unfold. One neighbor says it appeared Herrera was in the midst of a mental health crisis.

The woman was pleading for help, screaming, "I'm your mother!"

There are conflicting reports about the fate of the family dog. The most recent report is that the dog seems to have survived the attack, but that's unconfirmed.

The mother's condition has not been released, but KTLA says a relative told the outlet the woman is in stable condition.

Kanye West is catching heat for using the r-word to describe President Biden ... condemned by folks who advocate for folks with Down syndrome and disabilities.

Ye lashed out at Biden in his interview with Piers Morgan, saying POTUS is "f***ing r-word" for not seeking input from Elon Musk, and now the epithet is sparking outrage.

Jordan Kough, Executive Director of the National Down Syndrome Congress, tells TMZ ... the r-word is hateful to all people with disabilities, and it's very disappointing to see Kanye embrace it. Even worse, Kough believes Ye knows it's highly offensive.

The NDSC says the r-word strips humanity from folks with disabilities ... and Kough is encouraging Kanye, and others with big platforms, to consider the power of their words.

Over at the National Disability Rights Network, Kanye's losing tons of support. Executive Director Marlene Sallo says disability advocates appreciated when Kanye once said his bipolar disorder was his superpower, but now those same people are super upset to see Ye use an "outdated and hateful" word.

The NDRN is going a step further ... calling for Kanye to apologize. Good luck with that.

Ye's also being denounced by the National Down Syndrome Society ... a rep there tells us the r-word has no place in public discourse, regardless of whether it's aimed at someone with a disability or not.

As we reported, Kanye's on a tear against lots of groups ... making a slew of antisemitic remarks ... most recently during his chat with Piers, when he stated he only wanted to go "death con 3" on Jews who have screwed him over.

Olivia Wilde and Jason Sudeikis' dog walker is still reeling from the loss of Gordon, and speaking out about it for the first time ... saying there was no warning her time with the pup was ending.

Now, the L.A.-based dog walker's remaining anonymous, but says she was hired by Olivia and Jason in the fall of 2020. She admits being star-struck meeting Jason for the first time -- in a letter to Gawker she hilariously says, "I was suddenly willing to kill for him."

Interestingly she didn't have that reaction to Olivia, and in fact, never actually uses Olivia's name in the letter ... only referring to her as Jason's ex.

Seems she's chosen a side in the split! Anyway, she had an instant bond with Gordon.

She describes their walks together as "my happiest mornings during COVID's most depressing drawn-out flop era" ... but that all ended when she got a text that simply read, "No more Gordon walks."

She was pretty beat up over the news ... adding there was no reason given as to why their time together had to end. She says she only recently found out -- through the ex-nanny's allegations -- Gordon was dumped so OW could spend more time with Harry Styles, and rehomed ... allegedly with her NY dog walker.

As we reported, Olivia and Jason deny those allegations from their former nanny. Sources close to the couple told us their kids were pretty upset when he was given away, but so was everyone else.

Fivio Foreign is blaming arena production staffers for his recent performance woes during the Brooklyn Nets' halftime show ... and says he needs a redo to make the city proud.

TMZ Hip Hop caught up with Fivio at the scene of the crime -- Barclays Center, the Nets' homecourt -- and his view of the disastrous performance is his production team would've handled things perfectly, unlike the one he worked with that night.

Fivio says everything was fine during soundcheck, but at halftime, his inner earpiece was lower than the crowd noise ... and the sound was delayed in his ear.

ICYMI, Fivio got fried on social media because the Brooklyn rapper seemed to forget his lyrics altogether for a full 3 songs.

Fivio tells us Internet reactions didn't phase him much ... he remembers getting trashed online when his sound went out performing with Kanye West during one of his many Donda events last year.

He's also laughing off haters claiming he was too high to remember the words -- Fivio tells us that chapter of his life is over, and he dropped a few bars about it.

Kathy Hilton is doubling down on feelings toward Lisa Rinna and Erika Jayne ... calling them out as villains who are desperate to stir up s*** --  and her recent falling out with her sister Kyle Richards is proof.

We got the 'RHOBH' star and her pal, Faye Resnick, at La Scala in Bev Hills Wednesday ... she says the handwriting's on the wall ... Erika and Lisa are fabricating drama for the show at Kathy and Kyle's expense.

Fans of the show know Lisa and Erika went ham on Kathy, calling her out for badmouthing the cast, including Kyle and her fam -- the explosive reunion episodes showed in living color the toll it all took on the 2 sisters.

Kathy reiterated her ultimatum -- producers are going to have to choose her or the "bullies." Kathy says if the bullies return, she's history.

Halloween is now super scary for the 4 daycare workers who scared the crap out of children at a Mississippi childcare facility ... because they're now facing felony charges and possible prison time.

The 4 women are facing 3 counts each of felony child abuse. As you see in the video, which has exploded online, one of the women in a horror mask terrifies the little kids -- who look like they're 3 or 4 years old. The kids understandably lose it ... screaming and crying.

Another daycare worker is facing 2 misdemeanor charges -- failure to report abuse and simple assault.

All of the employees were fired by the daycare owner.

What's interesting ... whether the parents of the kids will sue for infliction of emotional distress.  Seems like kind of a layup.

Amanda Bynes and her ex-fiancé Paul Michael are giving it another shot -- they've reunited, but this time they're taking it slow, 'cause no one's talking about walking down the aisle.

Sources close to the off-and-on-again couple tell TMZ ... Amanda and Paul are dating after breaking up and calling off their engagement in the summer ... and they're even living together again at Amanda's L.A. home.

They called it quits in July, but we're told the breakup only lasted about 2 weeks. By early August they were back at it and dating again.

Amanda posted a pic Saturday showing her holding a guy's hand. We've confirmed that was Paul in the photo ... so, the post was a not-so-subtle hint they might be back together, and that is the case. 💯

Our sources say Paul and Amanda, who've been hot and cold for 3 years, have broken up a few times but always seem to work things out and get back together.

Celebrities often go all out when it comes to their Halloween costumes ... and a lot of them look smokin' hot in their garb, so we've gotta ask -- Who'd you rather?!

Cowgirls have always been a popular costume choice during the spooky season ... and Draya Michele & Kim Kardashian have been down this road before ... so which one's hogtied your heart?

Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion are 2 of the hottest rappers in the game ... not only for their bars, but for their Halloween outfits, too! So who caught your eye?

Ric Flair is on the fence about whether he'll ever wrestle again ... telling TMZ Sports he'll "never say never" to taking another match -- but for right now, he's retired.

Of course, the 73-year-old Nature Boy and his son-in-law Andrade El Idolo whooped Jay Lethal and Jeff Jarrett in what was billed as his "Last Match" back in July ... but as recently as September, he's flirted with the idea of coming back once again.

We spoke with Flair about whether he's 100% done ... and even Naitch isn't too sure if he'll ever return.

"I don't know," Flair told us out in LA this week. "I've already promised [I was done] once. Right now, I'm not doing anything. But, never say never."

Flair even gives us a flex to prove he definitely still has the muscles -- but given the health issues he had leading up to and during the last match, it's understandable why he's not adamantly vowing to come back.

Flair previously said he passed out twice from dehydration during the event ... and leading up to it, he had plantar fasciitis.

In the meantime, Naitch -- who was hanging with manager Darren Prince -- has been working alongside Mike Tyson for his "Ric Flair Drip" cannabis ... and he says it's been "raining money" since his partnership with Tyson 2.0.

If it really is the end of Flair in the ring ... he had one of the most memorable careers ever.

Before this Miami native made her way out west to Los Angeles to be a model and movie star, she was putting on her most beautiful blue dress and posing for pictures in Silver Lake, CA.

It wasn't "2 Fast 2 Furious" for this gorgeous gal to make her way back to Miami where she was in Will Smith's "Miami" music video. This cute kid had some hard training days to accomplish everything she has, and that includes playing alongside Denzel Washington in two big movies.

A few thriller movies she's starred in include "Ghost Rider," "Lost River" and "Urban Legends: Final Cut."

Mississippi State football player Sam Westmoreland was found dead on Wednesday at a church ... cops tell TMZ Sports.

A spokesperson for the Oktibbeha County Sheriff's Office says they discovered the offensive lineman's body after they were called out to Blackjack Missionary Baptist Church in Starkville regarding a death investigation.

The spokesperson said they canvased the scene after arriving ... but cleared it a couple hours later.

The OCSO official did not release a cause of death ... saying a probe into the case is still ongoing.

They added, though, that they had "no reason to suspect foul play" at this point.

Westmoreland had just joined the Bulldogs roster this year ... and was playing offensive tackle while majoring in industrial technology at the school.

"Sam was a beloved son, brother and teammate, and a tremendous young man with a limitless future," MSU head coach Mike Leach said in a statement Wednesday. "He will always be remembered and deeply missed by everyone who knew and loved him."

Westmoreland was just two days away from celebrating his 19th birthday.